Bama Buggies driver suffers first DNF of season
Date: May 6, 2023
Event: Heart of America 200 (Race 8 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Location: Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Format: Three Stages; 30/30/74
Start/Finish: 3rd/33rd (Accident, completed 78 of 134 laps)
Winner: Grant Enfinger of GMS Racing (Chevrolet)
Chase Purdy qualified third for Saturday night’s Heart of America at Kansas Speedway and after earning a runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway, another mile-and-a-half track, earlier in the year had high hopes for another strong run. Purdy finished the opening stanza fifth and Stage Two in the eighth position, but after being in the back of the field via strategy just past the halfway point of the race, got caught up in a five-truck accident that ended his night.
Purdy did not finish a race for the first time this season and fell one position, to 11th, in the Craftsman Truck Series point standings.
Chase Purdy, driver of the No. 51 Zariz Transport Chevrolet for KBM:
What happened to end your night?
“It was a really unfortunate end to our night after running up front and having good stage points all day. Went to the back through strategy and they started wrecking in front of me. I was told to go low, so I checked up and went low and then I didn’t get told anything else. I didn’t foresee the 19 truck coming down like that. I couldn’t see it out the right side of my window because of how the head rest is positioned, but he came down and I tried to turn right to avoid him. By that time, it was kind of like being a deer in the headlights, he just jumped in front of me. I tried to lock it down and couldn’t. I hate it for my guys, they work too hard, and I’ve been around too long to make stupid mistakes like that.”
Heart of America 200 Race Recap:
- Grant Enfinger won Saturday night’s Heart of America 200. It was his first victory of 2023 and the eighth victory of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career. Corey Heim finished second, while Zane Smith, Stewart Friesen and Ross Chastain rounded out the top five.
- There were seven cautions for 40 laps and 15 lead changes among nine drivers.
Craftsman Truck Series Driver Standings:
Purdy leaves the eighth race of the season 11th in the Craftsman Truck Series driver point standings, 136 tallies behind Zane Smith. With eight races remaining before the playoffs start, he is 12th on the playoff grid, 18 points behind the cutoff line for making the post season.
